A New Ozma
by And Equality For All
Summary: AU: Glinda is unable to get Dorothy out of Munchkinland. She is more or less held hostage by bloodthirsty Munchkinlanders, convinced she is the new line of Ozma.
1. Prologue: The Girl

"Dorothy supposed she should try to get back to her home, but as she couldn't remember having studied anything about Oz in school, nor could I recall a place named Kansas, we decided that she should look for help elsewhere. Until those fickle Munchkinlanders nominated Dorothy as Nessie's successor! The girl- knowing nothing of Oz, of course- was helpless. I tried to shoo them away, but for their size, those people really do stand their ground. They're nearly holding Dorothy hostage over in Center Munch. I couldn't find a way to prevent it without using violence," Glinda half-apologized. The Witch blinked.

"...She's been here for a little over a month? And they want her to rule over Munchkinland?" Elphaba said skeptically. "She has no clue of the political climate she has blown herself into." Glinda gazed at Elphie, almost pleadingly.

"Elphie, she's an innocent girl! Twelve years old," she wheedled. "You must find a way to make them release her. They believe she's Lurlina herself- or perhaps the new line of Ozma, since the old one seems to be lost forever..." she drifted. Then her focused returned. "Elphaba, the citizens of Munchkinland are nothing short of insane-"

"They are on the brink of blood sacrifice, I know." The Witch dismissed. Glinda gave her a funny look.

"You really _haven't_ been here for a long time," she said, at last.

**A/N: I'm sorry this is so short, but of course it's more of a prologue than an actual chapter. I will continue updating, regardless of reviews... but a few would be nice. Oh, and I don't own Wicked, duh, or any of the characters.**

**Though I wouldn't mind having Glinda for a best friend.**

**POTIONS GEEK**


	2. The Altar

**A/N: Thank you for the review! And sorry, again that this chapter is short, but until the story really gets going this is the way they'll have to be. I don't own Wicked, but I do own the plot, yay! Hope you enjoy. :D**

"So," the Witch said, at last. "This is what we've sunk to."

An altar, raising fifteen or twenty feet high off the ground, was carved crudely with dismembered animals, or Animals, it clearly made no difference to the creator. The surface, though difficult to see from Elphaba's standpoint, was strewn with carnage and blood from the last slaughtering. A team of what appeared to be cleaners had come to scrub the sacred stone.

Elphaba was reminded of a conversation she had held with a captive Cow, years ago. Sacrificing Animals certainly wasn't out of these peasants' reach. And a voice- but whose?- somewhere from the past: something to do with being more civilized, yet the entertainments had gone barbaric...

"You can hardly blame them," Glinda mumbled. "After the past few decades. And besides, this certainly isn't representative of all of Oz-"

"Oh, yes it is!" Elphaba snapped, coming out of her trance. "Those who stand by and watch this happen are just as guilty as those who wield the axe!"

"Oh, Elphie, you haven't changed a bit."

"I wish I could say the same for you."

Glinda coughed uncomfortably as Elphaba watched the cleaning crew at their work. "Well... it's been... well, I'm out of niceties to use-"

The Witch smirked.

"But I really do need to be getting back to Sir Chuffrey," Glinda finished hastily. "It looks bad if I'm both away from him and the public eye-"

"Musn't ruin our reputation."

"Oh, hush, just because you haven't one to keep!" the Good Witch scolded, half-affectionately. "But really..."

"So you're just going to push this task- which you created- at my feet?" Elphaba commanded. Glinda blushed, but a glint of steel shined in her eye.

"You want those shoes, don't you?"

"You aren't really so kind and generous after all, are you?" Elphaba snarled. "Deep down you're just a silly, seventeen year old girl, unable to take responsibility for your own-"

"Alright, alright," Glinda moaned. "Listen- I'll try to assist you. But honestly, Elphie, this is more your game than mine."

"What do you mean?"

"Dealing in secret. Standing your ground. That kind of thing," Glinda yawned. "Oh, excuse me. Now Elphie, I really must be getting back to Chuffrey-"

"Fine. But I expect a letter within a week in response to the plan I devise," said Elphaba, crossing her arms. Glinda's fine eyebrows raised.

"Oh, Elphaba, what are you going to do to save that poor girl?"

"It's the shoes I'm after," corrected Elphie, "And I'm the Wicked Witch of the West. They'll be lucky to keep their lives."


	3. The Arrival

**A/N: Thanks for the reads. I plan on updating ALOT more- so please, review what I have so I know that its worth it. Oh, and Wicked isn't, nor ever will be, mine. D:**

It was a long flight back to Kiamo Ko, but Elphaba saw no alternative. She needed someone more reliable, and at-hand, than the fickle Glinda. Passing over barns and green fields, the Witch brooded over this. She was much more like Galinda than the strong character that she had become, after the death of Doctor Dillamond. But Glinda would help. Elphaba would see to that. Holding those shoes over Elphaba's head- like a carrot held out to starving Donkey- why, who knew if they were even still with the girl, that Dorothy? In any case, it was back to Kiamo Ko with her, back to fetch Liir, and hopefully to leave Nanny in the capable hands of the maunts of the Cloister of Saint Glinda, as she was far too old for travel. But what to do with Chistery? Elphaba supposed the maunts might take him in too, as long as he did not reveal his powers of speech.

She had not wanted to miss her sister's memorial, and knew that her father, dear Frex, would be heartbroken. But honestly, she'd be naught but a distracting sideshow to the funeral-goers, stealing attention away from Nessarose, when this once, her Godliness deserved it. And, come to think of it, when had she done anything the conventional way? She could mourn- or not mourn- her sister in solitude, yes, that was Elphaba's way. And she was of much more use setting herself on this mission than moping about with Oz's finest.

After a week of nonstop travel, the Witch was home at last. Upon entering, she heard a clatter from down the hall, and Liir came bounding in.

"Auntie, it's been so dull without you," the boy said, carrying a plucked, headless chicken in one hand, his face covered in flour.

"What on earth are you doing?" Elphaba demanded. "Wreaking havoc while I'm away, eh?"

"Nanny said you would be coming. She told me to kill a chicken," Liir explained.

"What do you mean, she said I would be coming?" Elphaba asked. "I didn't write," Liir shrugged.

"That's all she said. She's in the Solar. I think she wanted to talk to you, but she's been rambling so-"

"Enough," snapped the Witch. "I shall see to this."

Nanny was resting in a worn armchair, in the Solar, as Liir had said. She seemed even older than before, and was gazing into the empty air before her. Elphaba approached her, carefully, so as not to startle her.

"Nanny? Nanny, it's me, Elphaba," she said, gently.

"Elphaba? My, but you've been gone so long."

"Only a month or so," the Witch said, despite herself. "But, Nanny, how did you know I was coming? I didn't write to you, or send a messenger..."

"Nanny knows when her old charges are on their way to see her." The old woman smiled. Elphaba patted her hand.

After making sure Nanny was well-attended to, Elphaba locked herself in her tower. She poured herself over what paper she had left, scribbling lists of materials and people and drawing crude maps. I can only make an outline of a plan, she realized. So much could go wrong.

Elphaba made a copy of each document she found vital, then tied the bundle together, along with the letter she wrote to her old friend. It was lightweight enough to be sent by one of her crows, so she bound it to a particularly clever crow's feet and sent it on its way.

Elphaba watched the crow's flight until it was naught but another speck of night. There was so much to be done, too little time to do it in.

At last, she turned away from the window. "Liir," she called. "I need you at once. And bring the sewing basket!"


	4. Author's Note

Sorry to keep you guys waiting, I'm alot better and will work on the next chapter ASAP. Please keep your eye out for it- I think it'll be done at the end of the week.

Thanks for your compassion.

POTIONS GEEK


	5. The Ally

"Oh, Auntie," Liir moaned, "Isn't there another way?"

"Stop that Auntie business at once." Elphaba patted at Liir's coat and hat. "There, now, you look just like a Munchkinlander-"

"Except that I'm tall. And if I can't call you Auntie, what shall I call-"

"If you would only keep your mouth shut good and proper, you'll have no need to address me. And besides, you're supposed to be an adult Munchkinlander, and not all of them are short, you ignorant boy."

"As if I would know. Locked away at Kiamo Ko-"

"Shut your mouth. Now." Elphaba snapped. She began a brisk walk, not minding Liir as he huffed and puffed behind her. Central Munch at midday was packed with people going about their lives, buying and selling, starving and getting fat. A gypsy camp was in town, quite near Town Hall, where Glinda had claimed Dorothy was being held hostage. More than once, Elphaba roughly grabbed Liir's arm to steer his attention away from booths offering mystery and illusion. Pfaithers, as her dear old father would have called them.

She didn't have an eye for architecture like Glinda, but even to the Witch herself, Town Hall was quite imposing. Squat, but ominous; powerful. Elphaba walked tall in her dark, concealing cloak (thankfully, it was quite cold outside, o she did not look very out of place) to the side of the building, waiting impatiently for Liir to catch up.

"Now," she muttered, watching many Munchkins, mostly men, scurry in and out. "Just go in act like you know what you're doing, and scope out the situation. Then come back to me as soon as the situation allows. This is certainly a stretch for you, but act like you belong." She sniffed, turning away and begining to walk back towards the crowds.

"Wait," Liir called, hurrying after her. "Where should I meet you?"

"Find a gypsy and ask for Yackle," she replied, not turning back.


	6. The Announcement

**Hey everybody. New chapter finally up! I'm sorry, with getting ready for school and family drama, I've had nearly no time for myself. Well, anyway, hope you like the new chapter. They're gonna start getting longer, if all goes according to plan. And if not, updates will be more often, so keep your eyes peeled.**

**POTIONS GEEK**

Liir stumbled into Town Hall, feeling very self-conscious and very cold. Thankfully, a fire was blazing merrily in the lobby, and as it was quite crowded, the room felt very cozy, indeed. He melted into a crowd of Munchkin men, who he felt certain were here for the business of- Dorothy, was it? - And was silent. Just ahead of him, two men, several inches shorter than Liir, but at least twenty years older, were grumbling; Liir could only pick up a few words. When he heard them spit out the girl's name, he strained his ears to hear more.

"That girl, she said her name meant _'goddess of gifts'_. That proves it," the man to Liir's left, a short man with curly red hair, said dismissively. The other man, with cropped, black hair and a sour expression, did not seem convinced.

"Her name is _Dorothy_," he said half-heartedly, as though he were tired of arguing the matter. "She isn't Ozma. Ozma, after all, was said to have golden hair. And this little brat," he spat, "has locks of the plainest brown. She's a farm girl, an _unusual_ one, but a farm girl just the same. Here we are, in the greatest depression Oz has ever known, and we are wasting what little resources we have on this child, when we should be going to war-!"

"Hush. Stop that talk at once," Curly, very seriously. "There are ears everywhere. There could very easily be a spy from Emerald City among us, trying to discover what we are planning here. If you value your life, man, you'd do well to shut your mouth!"

Both men looked around subconsciously, eyes narrowed. Liir pulled the brim of his hat down, trying to seem at place among the suspicious strangers.

"Alright, everyone, into the meeting room," a man with a gruff voice said from the front of the crowd. The group started to move, Liir following casually behind them through a set of ornate double doors.

The room was shaped like a large dome, and near the back wall, a sort of structure had been erected. It was hard to tell exactly what is was from the room's entrance, but as they got closer, Liir could see it was some sort of huge cage. Inside, a makeshift throne had been placed, and a few blankets had been strewn across the cage floor. Seated on the throne was the girl- the fabled Dorothy. She must have been about twelve, with brown braided pigtails and a worn gingham frock. Even from far away, she looked pale, a thin sheen of sweat across her face. In her arms she held what looked like a small dog. He began to yap- very obnoxiously- at the approach of Munchkinland's merry men.

But before they reached the cage, the party halted. The leader of the party, who had given them all direction before, had offered his ear to Curly, and his pessimistic friend. They exchanged a quick word, and the man, who Liir could barely make out over the tops of Munchkin heads, cleared his throat.

"At the request of sirs Quark and Sansun, would everyone take off their hats and cloaks? This operation must be as secure as possible, you understand." The crowd responded immediately, shucking off their extra clothing, as if proud to say, We have nothing to hide!; Which left Liir little options.

He began to edge back towards the door, quite unnoticed for the rustle of movement and cotton. He reached for the handle, his back towards the wall, and began to open the door. Unfortunately, the door hinges hadn't seen oil in over a decade, and put forth an earsplitting creak.

As he looked up, forty pairs of eyes met Liir's.


	7. Very Belated Author's Note

**AN:**

**I'm really sorry that I've dropped the ball on this one. So much has happened in the past… years? Sorry to say. But I'm seriously considering picking this story back up. I still have my story notes… I remember (vaguely) where I was going with it…. What do you, my loyal readers, think? (If you're still out there…) Would you want me to continue? Let me know on the review for this "chapter". I'm willing to continue if you're willing to read.**


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